Gale and Katniss: The Other Side
by sheseestrees
Summary: A scene from Catching Fire, told in Gale's POV, with the events reversed. The "I love you" scene. Everthorne/Galeniss. Katniss tells Gale she loves him.
1. Chapter 1

"I love you."

The words exited her mouth like an infection, desperate to cling onto the next open victim, which was me. Her words lingered in the air for a second, and I wrapped my arms around her. We stayed like that for a second until I murmured into her hair words that I shouldn't even considered to be a thought.

"I know."

Her arms left my waist, and I fell an uncomfortable coldness exerted off of her. Her arms are at the sides of her body, dangling. She composes herself quickly, and escapes my embrace. She grabs her game bag from the floor and exits the little abandoned home with quick, light footsteps. Why the fuck would I even say that? I don't know if I _in love _her. I don't know. My body moves before I can even know it is, and I am catching up to her in a fast pace.

"Katniss! Katniss, wait!"

As soon as I think I can catch her if I run a bit faster, she's out of sight, and I'm out of my mind. There's a stupid tree next to me and I punch it with my stupid fist for being so stupid. There's no way that anything is going to be the same. I'm losing my mind, so I run until I reach her house. I scope the place out and see no sign of Katniss. I'm walking slowly, looking at my shoes, when I see the blood. It's not much, but it's enough. A little splatter is stained onto the floor, about the size of Katniss' bag. I look around and see her bag a foot away, open. I walk over and pick it up. There are strawberries in there, and nothing else. We caught four squirrels today. My mind is racing. She wouldn't leave her strawberries here in the open unless-

My head is throbbing at the same rate that my heart is beating, and I am _livid. _If it's her-no, it can't be her. She wouldn't be that _stupid _and _ignorant. _And then I see her. And the world is spinning and I can't breathe but I am running. I am running at full pace, and I can't tell if I'm crying or if my eyes are watering from how fast I am running, but not even the tears in my eyes can blur out what I am running towards. Katniss, in the middle of the town, shirt off,_ getting whipped. _I run and run but she is too far, too far that I caught a glimpse of the leather of the whip being brought against her skin and I have lost it.

The anger I am feeling cannot be explained in any stupid fucking words. I am getting closer, and I am yelling multiple profanities and I see the peacekeeper bring the whip up again, and I am almost there, and he's lowering it, and I can see the tears on her face, and I slide over her, and the whip hits the skin of my back. I'm hovering over her back, and the flesh of her skin is the only thing I can see. She's bleeding like fucking crazy, and another whip hits me through my shirt. I wince and I find her shirt laying next to her, so I grab it, but then then next whip hits me harder and I let out a groan and drop it. The peacekeeper grabs her shirt and yells at me.

"Get up!"

I get up off the floor and I can see Katniss' pale face. And that's when I realize that she has her eyes closed. I bend down and cup her face in my hands, tapping one of her cheeks frantically. She's unconscious. I get up again and face the peacekeeper.

"Give me the shirt and just leave."

He scoffs and gets directly in front of my face. "Leave, so I can finish my job."

I want to push him, and I want to yell in his _fucking face_, but I know that I will make this worse for her if I do. I grab the shirt from him, but he pulls it away at the last second, and it rips in half. I half growl in frustration and the last bit of control I had went with the ripped shirt. I can't help but do something.

"Why the fuck does she deserve this, what kind of sick, cruel person-"

"This is my job, and if you don't leave, I'll have another one soon."

I'm ready to hook him. My hands are clenched into fists and I'm lifting it when I hear a husky voice in the background."

"Let em go."

Haymitch is standing behind the peacekeeper. He has a bored look on his face as he says, "I am trying to sleep and I can't with all this bullshit noise. Let them go so I can go back to bed."

I don't even care what happens, I just want Katniss to be safe right now. I take the shirt off my back, and the part of it that was whipped stings when it comes into contact with the cold air. I lift her off her stomach, and turn back to Haymitch and the peacekeeper. He's giving him alcohol. To let us go. I briefly question this, but turn back to Katniss immediately. I place my shirt on the floor next to me and hold Katniss' head in one hand, and her legs on the other. She isn't wearing a bra. Guilt eats at my stomach and I place her legs on the floor, and grab my shirt. I place it on her bare chest and my cheeks are flaming. I turn to where the peacekeeper was, and appraise the floor around me. He took her bra. I'm immediately furious and I just want to kill the fucking bastard. I get up off the ground, holding Katniss in my arms, and I'm fast walking, and eventually running to the Everdeen house. My legs aren't moving fast enough and I'm pushing, forcing them to go faster. How am I going to explain to Mrs. Everdeen that I was the reason her daughter got whipped? We're at the front porch and there are tears in my eyes and I am crying for the first time in a long time.

"Help!" I yell and my voice breaks. Mrs. Everdeen hurries outside and sees her limp daughter in my arms.

"Gale, what-" she gasps, but her voice is breaking and she can't talk. Her eyes are collecting tears, but she quickly turns around and I follow her into the small house. Mrs. Everdeen lays a cloth on the table and I lay Katniss down gently on her stomach, and I'm praying that she'll start working.

She wipes her tears and starts boiling water. I take another look at Katniss' back and my throat closes in. My stomach churns. Her back is inexplicably painful to look at. Her skin is not there. The meat of her back is the only thing visible, along with the blood that ceases to stop. Some of the blood around the sides has begun to crumble dry, into a brick red. Mrs. Everdeen starts adding various herbs to the pot of water.

"Gale, does you mother have mint?" she asks in a firm voice. I can see that the tears are drying on her face.

"Um I think so. I'll go get some." I glance at Katniss one more time, swallow, and start walking away. And then I hear Prim behind me, yelling like she did at the reaping.

"Katniss?! Mom, Katniss, she's dead!"

I can see Prim kneeling beside Katniss and my stomach is in knots and my throat is closing in and turn around and run out of the house. I run again, and although my mind feels weak, but I am stronger than ever, and don't bother to stop until I reach my kitchen. I start rummaging through the cabinet, but I can't find the mint and I'm getting frustrated and

"Gale? What are you looking for? Let me help you."

My mom comes into the kitchen and her eyes are bright with curiosity.

"I just need the mint, there isn't any mint and Mom I need it please tell me you have some." I can feel my cheeks starting to burn and my mom runs into the bathroom and exits with a small glass container.

"I use it in my bath sometimes I-Gale what's going on?"

I take the container from her hands and start to run back to the Everdeens' house. I can hear her yelling at me, so I just turn around and yell,

"It's Katniss!"

I bolt to her house and Mrs. Everdeen has Prim collecting snow coat. Prim's braids are a loose mess, and her eyes are a swollen pink, and I hate everything and I should of answered her and I should of protected her but-

"Gale!" My mother's voice snaps me out of my daze, and her eyes are wide. Rory, Vick, and Posy are behind her, with the worst expressions on their faces as they see Katniss lying on the table.

"Mom, go into the other room with the kids." I snap back. She shouldn't of came here.

"Mom?" My head whips in Katniss' direction and I can _feel _her pain, I can see it in her cloudy eyes.

"Stay still. Don't move, honey."

"But mom, it hurts. Mom, mom, it hurts so much."

And Katniss starts bawling and she's trying to move when her mom applies the remedy, and she's squirming and crying and I don't know what to do. Mrs. Everdeen rubs the mixed herbs onto the wound, with the slightest touch. For a second, just a second, Katniss stops crying. And then she's screaming. Screaming murder that it burns, that it hurts. I bend down near the table she's lying on and meet her eyes. She's screaming with her eyes open, eyebrows scrunched up in pain. She's staring at me, so I grab her hand and pull it up to my mouth, and start kissing her hand everywhere. She locks our hands together, closes her eyes and screams louder, while her mother pours more herbs onto her back. I'm kissing her hand intertwined with mine, and she's squeezing with all her strength. The tears dripping from my eyes land on our hands, and after 10 minutes of this, the screaming stops. We sit in silence and I can see the flesh of her back glistening as the herbs form into a thick glaze. Mrs. Everdeen runs over with a syringe, and injects it into Katniss' arm. She's moans, but doesn't move much.

"The mayor's daughter brought it over. She saw the whole thing."

I study Katniss' mom for a second. The contours on her face are deeper than ever, but her face is dry. This gives me strength, but I can still hear Prim sniffling in the bedroom, and I'm still guilty.

I pull Katniss' face up to look at mine, and her eyes are swollen.

"Katniss.."

"Gale, Gale, it hurts."

"I know, Catnip, I know, I'm sorry."

My mom shows up behind me, and she taps my shoulder.

"Gale, I'm going to leave. Katniss honey, you're going to be okay, sweetie." Katniss hums a reply and my mother gives me a sad smile.

"I'm going to stay here, all night. I'll see you tomorrow."

Katniss half opens her eyes and stares at me. The injection is settling into her system; I can see it in her eyes.

I don't think Katniss can talk anymore, but she gives my hand a little squeeze, and I know what she's saying.

I bring my lips down to hers in a response that could only mean one thing:

I love you, too.

hi thank you for reading. I would really appreciate it if you took the time to review. If not, that's totally fine, too. I hope you enjoyed it (: 


	2. Chapter 2

I wake up with my head on the table next to Katniss'. It seems to be early morning; the sun has yet to fully rise. I rub the sleep off of my eyes and study Katniss' face. The bags beneath her eyes are a deep purple, but her skin is smooth and full of life. And then I look at her back.

Mrs. Everdeen covered her before she went to bed, so a thin sheet is lying over her back. I lift it lightly, and find her back has started to scab over. Most of it is forming a thick crust, yet the parts where the whip hit her the hardest are still raw and bleeding slightly. I lay the part of the sheet that I lifted up gently on her back, and take a seat next to the table she is laying on. We should of moved her to a bed, but she seemed too tired. I look at her face again and sigh. I grab her hand that is dangling off the table, and start rubbing small circles on it with my thumb. For a while, I wonder for what reason that stupid peacekeeper decided a whipping would be the proper punishment for her. I let go of her hand and place it on the table, next to her head. I lightly run my hand through her hair and get up.

The sun is starting to shine through the window in the kitchen, and I know its time to go home. I place a kiss on her forehead and silently thank whatever higher power there is that saved her, because it sure as hell wasn't me.

I walk in a fast pace to my house, and once I'm there, I see that my mother is doing exactly what I was going to do. She's starting the meal. She's cutting the potatoes when I enter the kitchen. She talks without turning around.

"I thought I'd get an early start."

She turns around and studies me. I know that I look how I feel; like shit.

"Gale, honey, come here." She walks over to me with her arms open, and gives me that mothers embrace. I hug her back as tightly as I can, and I lay my head on her shoulder.

"It's all my fault, mom. All of it."

"Gale, stop, it is not."

"Mom, you don't know what happened, you don't know. I might as well have gotten the whip and whipped her mysel-" I stop mid sentence and my throat is closing up again, but I refuse to let the tears spill from my eyes. Katniss is well. She is going to be fine.

My mother grabs my face with both of her hands.

"Gale, you need to stop blaming yourself. It was not your fault. It is not Katniss' fault. We cannot blame ourselves. This is something that has always been a risk. You did your best for Katniss. I don't know any other people who stick to each other like you two. You both are each other's soul mates, one way or another. You need to understand that if it was you, you wouldn't want Katniss to blame herself."

"But it wasn't me."

"But if it was, you know she would of done the same for you."

"I just regret-"

Her voice is firm now. "Gale. No regrets. If you do not follow any other advice I give you, that would be fine, but please take this. Don't regret anything. Everything happens for a reason."

She taps the side of my face, like I did to Katniss when she was lying on the floor, and turns around to continue preparing the meal. A churning begins in my stomach. If it was me, Katniss would do everything to make sure I would get better. She would be strong and she would be there for me. And instead, I'm at home, holding back tears in my mother's arms.

I stand beside my mom and pick up a potato. I rub the dirt off of it with a towel and start chopping it into chunks. My mom grabs various vegetables and continues the process. Once we skin the squirrel, and cut it up for meat, we add everything to a large pot. Stone soup. I kiss my mother on the top of her head, and thank her for her encouraging words.

The walk back to Katniss' house was mainly me questioning many things about yesterday. I briefly question whether or not she remembered the kiss. Her lips were weak but they burned my body with curiosity and a radiance I had yet to encounter. Her lips moved slowly, and we danced to our own melody for a few seconds. That was the thing about Katniss; I didn't have to try. It came so naturally. Having her near is like being home; it is an undying familiarity that consumed my thoughts.

I'm almost there, and the sun starts to shine. I squint my eyes, and I feel as if the strength has been restored in my body. That is, until I walk into the Everdeens to find Katniss struggling to stand up.

She has both arms gripping each side of the table, and she's trying to stand up. I can hear her groaning as the scabs stretch. I run over to her and grab her arms, pulling them up to allow her to sit upright on the table. She grabs the sheet and covers her chest with it. Her eyes are sleepy, and I can see the dried drool on her cheek. Katniss stares at me for a second, squinting her eyes. I can tell she's angry. Then she talks.

"Why're you here?"

My eyebrows crinkle, questioning her.

"I want to make sure you're okay."

"Well, thanks, but I can go on fine without you."

I smirk and lean forward on my toes.

"Your definition of 'fine' is unable to get up off the table alone?"

She smirks back and I can tell that she's not that angry anymore.

"How are you feeling?"

"Like my whole body is on fire."

I sit on the table next to her. I know she's not mad at me. She's probably angry about not being able to do things independently. I turn my head to look at her, and she's doing the same. I gulp and I'm thinking of what to say, because "I'm sorry" doesn't seem good enough.

"Katniss.. I.. I want you to know that I, that I didn't want any of this to happen. If I would of just..I'm just, I'm sorry." I'm talking with my head down and I thought she would cut me off like she usually does, but I'm guessing this apology means a lot to her, so I keep talking.

"I would do anything, and you know I mean anything, to take all this back, to redo everything." I look up towards her and she's looking away. I sigh and scratch my neck. She turns her head and looks into my eyes, and I could swear that she's looking into my soul when she stares at me like that.

"I remember it."

I don't know what she's talking about, so I question her on it.

"Remember what?"

And this looks like it kills her. She stiffens, then relaxes, and I can tell she's not going to talk about it.

"I just.. I remember everything."

I sit there, and I know what she's talking about. She's talking about the kiss. I go along with her.

"Everything, huh? Anything in particular."

"Gale, you know what I'm talking about."

I'm about to reply, but I can see her face fill with pain, and she starts squirming. She's gritting her teeth, so I grab her and lay her down on the table. She's hurting and I know she's trying to be strong, so I run to wake Mrs. Everdeen up, but she's already coming. She sees Katniss and grabs the medicine Madge gave her, then runs and injects it into her arm. For a minute, Katniss is complaining and muttering, but the medicine kicks in, and she's out.

We're all quiet when my mother walks in with a pot of soup. A very, very large pot. I grab it from her and place it on the table in the kitchen. My mother insists that everyone must eat, so she asks Mrs. Everdeen for bowls and quickly serves everyone. I'm sitting on the same chair that I was in last night, and my mother brings me a bowl.

"Shall we wake Katniss?"

It's been an hour since she's been sleeping, so I just shrug. Mrs. Everdeen walks over and taps Katniss' shoulder. It takes a while for her to wake up, but when she does, she says,

"Where's Prim? Is she okay?"

Prim peaks her head from the kitchen and smiles sadly.

"I'm right here Katniss. Do you need anything?"

Katniss can't turn to see her, so instead she asks Prim if she can go over to the table so she can see her. When Katniss sees her, she smiles and closes her eyes. Mrs. Everdeen walks over to her.

"Katniss, you need to eat. If you're to get better, you're going to need to have some food in your system."

Katniss refuses to do so until Prim feeds Katniss some of the soup. She's struggling, and I'm still guilty.

It's getting late, and my family went home, while the Everdeens are all asleep. Before Katniss' mom went to bed, she sat down on the chair next to me.

"I really appreciate all you did for Katniss."

For a moment, I think she's being sarcastic, but the way she's looking at Katniss sleeping tells me that she's being serious.

"It's the least I could do. I owe her everything."

She chuckles lightly. "You know, she's in great condition. At this rate, she'll be back to normal in a month. You on the other hand.."

I let out a chuckle and I take a glance at Katniss.

Mrs. Everdeen gets up and dusts herself off, although there isn't any dust.

"Maybe your mother is right, maybe you two are soul mates."

She starts walking away, but she turns around.

"One way or another. Goodnight, Gale."

"Goodnight Mrs. Everdeen, I'm going to head out in a bit."

She smiles and walks into her bedroom where Prim is already sleeping.

I look at Katniss again, and I know I'm going to have to go to the mines in a couple of hours. Five hours, at the least. I'm about to get up when Katniss' eyes flutter open. It takes her a while to fully awake, but when she does, she just says,

"Gale?"

I get off the chair and bend down next to the table.

"I'm right here, Katniss."

She closes her eyes, and starts rambling on about killing a mountain lion. I can tell she's in a loopy daze, but I just let her talk.

"And I was skinning him, but- I don't know I forgot but Gale! Good thing you're here I need to talk to you."

"I'm listening." I reply, peeling the callouses from my palms.

"I don't want you to love me." she says with her eyes closed.

I try not to chuckle. "And why not?"

"Because if you love me, then I'll love you back. And I can't love you back, you know I can't Gale." She's opened her eyes now, and she's staring at me. I know she's talking about President Snow. About her deal with him. To love Peeta.

"I don't care if you can't love me, I don't care if I can't love you. They control everything else, not this, Catnip, not this."

"Why not?"

I'm angry by now, but I keep my voice at a whisper, because I know if I start to yell she'll be upset.

"Because they can't. This is me, this is you, and they can't take that. They've taken everything, they've taken _everything _besides the remainder of our families, and I won't let them have you. We're soul mates, one way or-"

I'm mid sentence, but her lips cut me off. She kisses me this time, full force. She's not holding back and something about the way her lips crash into mine first takes me aback. But, damn.

"We're soul mates. One way."

I wait until she falls back to sleep to go home, but even when I am home, or at the mines the next day, I still feel that undying familiarity consume me.

hi yes i would appreciate it if you would review thank you so much for reading (:


	3. Chapter 3

The night consumes the sky as I am walking home, and all I can think about is the coal dust caked beneath my fingernails. It's late and my mother is most likely waiting up for me, so I hurry home to wash up.

When I open the door my mother is sitting in her chair, rocking little Posy to sleep. I give her a small smile and head into the bathroom and wash up, wondering how Katniss is doing. It's been two weeks since the incident, and from what my mother says Katniss has been recovering at a remarkable pace. I haven't seen much of her, so I can't speak for myself. I last saw her exactly one week ago, last Saturday. I finish washing up, get dressed, and head back to the living room. I bend down next to my mother and she smiles.

"How were the mines today, Gale?"

"Same as always. Dusty."

My mother smiles sadly.

"Gale, you've been coming home later than usual, is everything okay?"

"Mom, everything is fine. I'm going to see Katniss now, don't wait up for me. Night."

"Goodnight. Don't come home too late, okay? I love you."

"I love you, too." I say while walking out the door.

Recently, the mines have been hell. The talk of the district is Katniss, and how she was saved from being whipped to death by her cousin. People here in the seam know that I'm not her cousin, but some still refer to me as exactly that. Last week, I heard some miners talking about Katniss and I. I kept my back turned and listened to what they said.

"And he carried her home. Poor boy looked like he was going to kill someone."

"No, Paul. I heard he was crying. Must of really been close to that cousin of his."

Paul, I presume, lowered his voice, like he was revealing something precious.

"Now let me tell you something here. I was there and I saw him. That boy was angry. His tears were hot, I could see right through him."

At this point Paul's whispering, and I have to lean back a bit to hear what he's saying.

"She's not his cousin. Last I heard they're long time pals. But the way he looked when he saw her that day, well, that's not just family-friendly love."

I grabbed my chisel and hit it against the ground hard.

The other guy whispers back harshly.

"You think they're lovers? But Peeta, the baker's son. Isn't she madly in love with him? They're star-crossed lovers!"

Paul looks around and whispers back, but I only catch half of what he says.

"That love is powerful enough to wipe out whatever the Capital says..."

Since then I have been working the mines harder than ever before. I hear her name in people's conversations regularly, but I don't listen anymore. I don't care to. The stupid fucking Capital throws stories out there and everyone clings onto them. No one says a word in the mines that hasn't already spewed out of the President Snow's mouth. Maybe that's why I haven't seen Paul in the mines since that day.

It sickens me to even think of people speaking of Katniss, and how she was so lucky that I was there. Like she needed some hero. Katniss is her own hero. She doesn't need a Prince Charming. She could want one, but she sure as hell doesn't need one.

I'm at Katniss' front door in no time, so I wipe away the anger that has clogged my brain and knock on the door. Prim answers. Her face is a light pink and her blonde eyebrows are crunched together.

"Prim, are you okay? What happened?"

She just shakes her head and gives me a half smile.

"Is anyone hurt?" I ask worried that maybe Katniss or Mrs. Everdeen had fallen ill.

"No, no, Gale we're okay, just come in."

I walk into the house and the air is still.

"I'll go get Katniss, go ahead and sit down if you want."

I stay standing and stuff my hands into my pockets. Katniss takes a while so I begin to pace; the air is choking me.

I hear footsteps behind me and I turn around. Katniss' cheeks are in the slightest possible way flushed, but other than that she looks the same. She's walking great and seems to be in little pain.

I open my arms for her to hug me, and she does. I put my hands on her head because I'm afraid her back is still sore. Her head is on my chest and we stay like that for a while. When she finally steps away, she looks to the floor for a split-second and I know that something is wrong. I'm not sure if I should question her on it, but I do anyway.

She sits on the couch, and I sit on the chair across from her.

"What's wrong?"

My words linger in the air for a second, and she's staring directly at me. Her eyes are cloudy and I know what she's about to say is hard for her.

But she says them anyway.

"Goodbye, Gale."

And almost instantly, I am consumed with rage.

**Hello thank you for reading! I apologize for not updating sooner but I had major writer's block and I kept re-writing and re-writing and I could never get it right. I would really appreciate it if you guys left your opinions. I also apologize for the length of the chapter (it's so short!) and for the long wait, but I have a few questions to ask regarding this story. **

**I could possibly end it in one or two more chapters, or I could make it into a full length story. The only way to extend it is to add Katniss' POV as well. Please let me know what you think would be best for this story. Thank you (:****  
**


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